Ever since Emre Demir made his debut in the Turkish Premier League at the age of 15, Turkish fans have been waiting for the teenager's real breakthrough moment.
That was in May 2019, when expectations were that the young kayseri sport player would soon be the brightest light in European football.
While some factors mean the midfielder has yet to fully play out, his potential is clearly not being overlooked elsewhere, namely camp Nou.
After rumors spread throughout the summer, Barcelona announced at the end of September that Demir had agreed to sign them at the end of the 2021-22 season.
Barca will pay €2 million to bring Demir to Catalonia, and the 17-year-old will sign a contract with La Liga side that contains a €400 million termination clause.
That price seems too high for a player who turns 18 next January, with only 32 appearances, but Demir is not just a special genius, but also a record-breaking.
In November 2019 against Genselbury, demir's fourth league appearance, showed excellent balance after just three minutes on the bench, controlling a high ball and hitting a wonderful arc with his left foot to hit the ball into the goal.
He scored at the age of 15 and 299 days, becoming the youngest goalscorer in the history of the Turkish Super League.
Demir's historic performance, and subsequent move to one of the biggest clubs in the world, is not surprising to those who have seen him emerge from the squad.
His football education began in his hometown of Manisa, when he played for local Kuwai Milier Sports, and in 2012 he was discovered by Suleiman Huma, then a member of the Kayseri Sports Board.
"I watched a video clip from Emre when he was 8 years old and I was really impressed." Huma told Spor Arena: "I invited him and his family directly to Kayseri. ”
"He was directly with the players at the Kayseri Sports Academy and I saw that he had extraordinary talent. He looks like an old player, only to be remodeled to look younger! ”
Demir's talent soon became apparent in goals, scoring 49 goals in 49 games for the club's U14 youth team and then scoring another 10 goals in the U16 league before crossing the U17 youth team to the first team.
In fact, it was during this time that he experienced life in Barcelona for the first time, with the Spanish giants inspecting him in 2017, although they did not sign Demir because he was only 13 years old at the time.
"I went to the academy in Barcelona and spent two weeks there." He told TRT Sport after moving to Barca: "I really liked the atmosphere and promised myself: 'One day I will come back here and put on this shirt!'" ’”
"Now I'm glad my dream has come true."
So how will Demir fit into Barcelona? His style of play clearly shows that he has La Masia's DNA, and even though he was only there for two weeks, his first touch, his excellent game vision, his ability to dribble the ball and his ability to find himself in the goal position all portended well for him.
He has long hair and likes to use his left foot, some have compared him to the early Messi, while Demir himself has spoken of Turkey and Lille No. 10 Yusef Yazc, as a player he observes and studies.
Of course, he also has areas where he needs to work on; most notably his endurance and physical strength, which he needs, if he wants — as some think he might — retrace and become a lower-seat organizer.
But now, people are comparing him to Leipzig striker Fossberg and former Argentine core Pablo Aymar.
When Demir finally arrives in Spain, he will join Barcelona B first, though how long that will last remains to be seen. Just this past summer, Yousef Demir (unrelated) had planned to play for the reserve team after joining quickly from Vienna, but has been in the first team since the landing of his plane from Austria.
Emre Demir has gotten used to waiting and in the last two seasons he has needed patience at Kayseri Sport.
The club has been relegated, leading to a change of coach, which has had a negative impact on Demir's development. Despite his talent, he has only started 6 games in the league, while so far this season he has only played 3 minutes on the pitch.
Instead, Demir has spent most of his time playing in Turkey's youth team, where he has reached the level of U19.
"One of my biggest goals is to play for the national team, to reach the highest level," he told the Anadolu news agency: "I knew I had to work hard for it and I believeD I could do it." ”
Demir needed the same conviction when he joined Barcelona, but there are signs that he can join the ranks of a growing number of talented teenagers who will bear the burden of winning in the post-Messi era.
Demir looks a bit like a seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, which may put some extra pressure on him, but he's now used to that expectation.